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AT&T and Apple Allow Cheap VoIP Calls on 3G

By Roy Furchgott January 28, 2010 6:31 pmJanuary 28, 2010 6:31 pm

In all of the hullabaloo over it the iPad, a long-awaited change to the iPhone got lost in the shuffle: Apple has taken the wraps off VoIP calls over the 3G network. That could mean a potentially huge savings on domestic and foreign calls.

The reason is VoIP calls use data minutes rather than voice minutes. That means that you could buy a plan with minimal number of minutes — fewer than you actually use — as long as you have an unlimited data plan. Then you could make as many calls as you want over data.

The first VoIP product up and running on the iPhone is iCall, a free app that gives you three ways to pay for calls. You can sign up for free calls to the United States and Canada that require you to listen to an ad before your call is made. Calls are limited to five minutes.

The second is a pay-per-call plan, which lets you make calls overseas at a per-minute price that is a deep discount from carrier prices. You have to deposit money ahead of time for this service: as little as $5 and up to $50. These minutes never expire.

The third choice is a $10-a-month plan that allows unlimited calls in the United States and Canada without having to hear ads. There is an additional fee for overseas calls, but at a lower per-minute price than with the pay-per-call plan.

In a news release, Fring also has claimed to be first, but its page in the iTunes App Store was updated after iCall’s. A test of the Fring app over 3G took several tries to connect to the server, but then I could connect for a test call. Some other numbers didn’t connect, however. Fring does offer more features than iCall, including messaging and video calls, and its international calls can be paid for via your Skype account.

Which should leave you wondering — where is Skype, the granddaddy of VoIP services, in all of this?

Skype said its 3G app was ready to go, but it was holding off until Apple clarified its new rules. The complication is this: The iPhone shares an operating system with the new iPad. But the iPad has a slightly newer version of that system. It is the new iPad rules that allow developers to use VoIP over 3G.

A spokesman for Skype said it was unclear if that new rule applied to iPhones, which are still working on a slightly older version of the system (which would also mean that a system update may be coming to the phone).

Of course, one way for consumers to find out is to use iCall until it gets shut down (or not).

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